Verne Troyer's death ruled as suicide

The American actor - who is best known for playing Mini-Me in the 'Austin Powers' movies - died in April at the age of 49 and a coroner in Los Angeles has now confirmed that he passed away because of the effects of alcohol.

Troyer - who openly battled alcoholism - spent the final three weeks of his life in a Los Angeles hospital for alcohol intoxication.

And following an an autopsy and other medical tests, the Los Angeles county department of medical examiner-coroner has ruled his death was a suicide.

Troyer's death was first announced on his Facebook account.

At the time, the cause of his passing wasn't known, but the statement hinted at some of his personal problems.

The statement read: ''It is with great sadness and incredibly heavy hearts to write that Verne passed away today. Verne was an extremely caring individual. He wanted to make everyone smile, be happy, and laugh. Anybody in need, he would help to any extent possible. Verne hoped he made a positive change with the platform he had and worked towards spreading that message everyday ...

''... Verne was also a fighter when it came to his own battles. Over the years he's struggled and won, struggled and won, struggled and fought some more, but unfortunately this time was too much.

''During this recent time of adversity he was baptized while surrounded by his family. The family appreciates that they have this time to grieve privately.

''Depression and Suicide are very serious issues. You never know what kind of battle someone is going through inside. Be kind to one another. And always know, it's never too late to reach out to someone for help. (sic)''